When Kate Middleton first became a mom and stepped outside of St. Mary’s Hospital, the whole world cheered over the fact that she flaunted her postpartum bump. But given that new moms are still routinely held to ridiculous standards of post-baby beauty, the more realistic glimpses of immediate post-baby #momlife we see, the better. It’s for that reason that a new mom’s Instagram post is going viral.

Nat Jorge-Martin, a 27-year-old from Homestead, Florida, recently took to the social media site to share a photo of herself holding her then-newborn daughter Delilah and wearing those ubiquitous and infamous post-birth hospital panties.

“Why would I post this picture?” she begins her photo caption. “You can see all the cellulite on my fat legs. My stomach looks huge, like I am still pregnant. My ankles are so swollen they look like logs. You can see the pad in my unflattering hospital panties. I have no makeup on and my hair hasn’t been brushed in days.”

The reason, according to Jorge-Martin: “Because this is postpartum. This is REAL. THIS IS CHILDBIRTH. You will not bounce back once that baby comes out of you. You will not ‘lose the baby weight’ super quickly. Your ankles will still be swollen and your belly will still be round. And there’s NOTHING wrong with that.”

She assures other new moms that not only is it completely okay, but it’s actually a beautiful thing, because “you just brought a baby into the world. Whether you had a vaginal birth or a c-section, a child emerged from your body and that’s a HUGE deal!”

The new mom goes onto explain that she asked her husband to take the photo “because it was the first time I stood up in days and the first time I held my baby all by myself, without wires connecting me to a bed. This moment was so beautiful, I got to sway side to side while holding the life I sustained for 9 months. I didn’t care that my robe was open and you could see my chunky legs or the ugly hospital panties. All I cared about was that I was a mother now; and that I was head over heels in love with this little human.”

Though she says she’s “still not happy” with her body and she admits she has days when she looks in the mirror and whispers “ugh, this is what I look like now” under her breath, she’s “immensely grateful” for what her body has done. “It grew a life out of a few cells,” she writes. “It labored for 26 hours and it was opened on a table to bring that life into this world. I share this photo because it’s REAL, beautiful, and in this moment I felt LOVE and happiness.”

The mom’s message has resonated with so many women who have applauded her honesty and can more than relate to her powerful message. “Love this post, read it with tears in my eyes. What a beautiful moment to capture,” one commenter shared. Another wrote, “If there’s one regret I have, it’s not taking more hospital pictures...with me in them.”

Though she’s thrilled by the feedback she’s received, Jorge-Martin admits to What to Expect, “I was a bit hesitant to share it, because of society’s unrealistic expectations regarding women’s bodies and childbirth.” But it’s that hesitance that ultimately drove her to share it. “No woman should feel hesitant to share a beautiful moment because of what others may think.” Cheers to that — and to this stunning, inspiring new mom!

Maressa Brown is an editor and writer with more than a decade of experience covering lifestyle, pop culture, and parenting. Her work has appeared in/on a variety of publications including Cosmopolitan.com, Parents.com, Romper, Redbookmag.com, ELLE.com, GoodHousekeeping.com, Bustle, Variety, Women's Health, and Better Homes & Gardens. She loves researching and covering women’s health, beauty/style, relationships, pop culture, and astrology. Follow her on Twitter @MaressaSylvie.